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Tom Brady Reveals How He Took a Nap Right Before His First Super Bowl Win

The former Patriots quarterback was somehow able to get some shut eye less than an hour before taking on the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI.

Mike Kadlick

Brady won his first Super Bowl way back in 2002.
Brady won his first Super Bowl way back in 2002. / photo by Bob Breidenbach / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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As Tom Brady's legend grew to GOAT status throughout his 20+ year Super Bowl-winning career, plenty of stories about his staunch preparation came to light. None, however, may be crazier than this one.

Apparently, less than an hour before his first Super Bowl appearance in 2002, the New England Patriots quarterback was able to take a nap ahead of kick-off. In a segment from NFL Films alongside Michael Strahan and Erin Andrews, Brady explained how:

"So we had to warm up on the field and then we had like 50 minutes before we went back out," he said. "So I took my pads off and was like, 'You know, I'm just gonna lay down and rest,' and I literally took like a 15-minute nap. "

"I'd be too like, excited," a confused Strahan chimed in.

"That's the thing you think," Brady explained. "The difference is, when you're young, you don't realize the enormity of what you're going through—Because I had not really been in the league that long.

"18 years later when I was playing in the Super Bowl, I couldn't sleep the night before the game I was so anxious," he continued. "[But] I had no anxiety when I was 24 years old."

As Andrews and Strahan realized, you don't know what you don't know—I suppose.

After 10 Super Bowl appearances as a player, Brady is now set to call his first as a color commentator. He'll be on the call for Fox alongside Kevin Burkhardt on Sunday as the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Philadelphia Eagles. Kick off from New Orleans' Caesars Superdome is set for 6:30 p.m. EST.

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Mike Kadlick
MIKE KADLICK

Mike Kadlick is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the New England Patriots for WEEI sports radio in Boston and continues to do so for CLNS Media. He has a master's in public relations from Boston University. Kadlick is also an avid runner and a proud lover of all things pizza.

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